In a three-team district, the odds of making the playoffs are high. The odds are even higher if you finish the season with an 8-2 record.

But for the Wakulla football team, its only two losses last year occurred at the hands of District 2-5A foes Godby and Rickards, in what was the state's toughest district and the ninth hardest in the nation according to MaxPreps.

Now, returning to where the War Eagles were accustomed is the motivation behind their offseason, and it will factor heavily into the determination they display on the field this fall.

"We expect to win at Wakulla. I won't deny that at all," War Eagles coach Scott Klees said.

"It was our first year not in the playoffs in eight years. We won district the previous two years. It was a bit unusual not being in the playoffs. We expect to get back. We have a chip on our shoulders, no doubt."

When seeking vengeance, it's nice to have merciless talent at your disposal.

Wakulla junior quarterback Feleipe Franks is now a year older and has a full season of experience under his belt. The 6-foot-5, 190-pound dual threat has also committed to LSU and been invited to play in the 2016 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

"I think we've got one of the best quarterbacks in the nation coming back," Klees said. "I think we've got one of the best wide receivers in the nation coming back. We expect big things out him.

Klees was speaking of 6-foot-4, 211-pound junior Keith Gavin, who left early in last year's season opener with injury against Florida High and then broke his leg in Wakulla's fourth game against Taylor County. He'll be needed to fill the big shoes left by Jordan Franks (62 receptions, 1,306 yards, 13 TD), who is now at the University of Central Florida.

"Keith will definitely have that edge," Klees said.

"His freshman year, he started for us and we were so good and had such good leadership, we didn't really need him in a leadership role. Last year, he only got two games and he was coming into his own. He had four touchdowns, two punt returns and a kickoff return in just two and a half games.

“He was stepping up and becoming that leader when he broke his leg. I think he is at the next level and you're going to see a dominant player, and I think he'll be double covered all year, which will open up other things for us."

When Wakulla was at its dominating best before last season, its veer option offense and mammoth offensive line gave teams fits. Last year saw more passing from the War Eagles with the talent of Franks under center and a young crop of running backs running behind an inexperienced line.

Though Wakulla only has eight seniors on its team this year, most everyone playing last year was a sophomore, and now they're upperclassmen with experience.

"I think the strength of our team is going to be our running backs, because we have four of them and they're all pretty good," Klees said.

"It's a good problem to have, number one, when you have guys who need touches at receiver and at running back. We're going to be a very balanced football team. We're going to throw 50 percent of the time and run 50 percent of the time. I think it's going to give people fits being able to do both."

Juniors Monterious Loggins (665 yards, 10 TD) and Antonio Morris (579 yards, 3 TD) enter as the feature backs, with Chance Duhart figuring in more prominently this season, while Franks threw for 1,842 yards with 18 touchdowns versus six interceptions in his debut season as a starter.

With Godby breaking in a new coach and losing a huge senior class, and Rickards also losing the biggest pieces behind its playoff season, the opportunity for Wakulla to return to the top is there, but it still comes down to what happens on the field, not on paper.

"We know the amount of talent in our district," Klees said.

"Rickards lost some people, but they're going to be talented without a doubt. Godby is always loaded with the guys that come in. We're going to have to play well to get out of our district. We're going to have to play very well."